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The practice of quarantine, as we know it, began during the fourteenth century in an effort to protect coastal cities from plague epidemics. Ships arriving in Venice from infected ports were required to sit at anchor for forty days before landing. This practice, called quarantine, was derived from the Latin word quaresma, meaning forty.

When the United States was first established, little was done to prevent the importation of infectious diseases. Protection against imported diseases was considered a local matter and handled by the colonies. While sporadic attempts were made to impose quarantine requirements, it was the continued yellow fever epidemics that led to the passage of Federal Quarantine Legislation by Congress in 1878. This legislation, while not conflicting with States' rights, paved the way for Federal involvement in quarantine activities. With the arrival of cholera from abroad in 1892, the law was reinterpreted to allow the Federal Government more authority in imposing quarantine requirements. In 1893, another act of Congress further clarified the Federal role in quarantine activities. Local quarantine stations were gradually turned over to the government as local authorities came to realize the benefits of Federal involvement. Additional facilities were built to provide better coverage, and quarantine was nationalized. By 1921, all quarantine stations were under Federal control. In 1944, with codification of the Public Health Service Act, the Federal Government's quarantine authority was clearly established for the first time.